After a momentary trance, Sister Flower looked back and smiled at the owner. "Don't look at me like that!" she chuckled. "Have the waiter bring over a cold six-pack, will you? It's so hot today!"

 

Sitting down, Sister Flower looked at Qin Feng across the table and asked, "Where's your girlfriend? You never mention her."

 

"Girlfriend?" Qin Feng smiled, "I don't have one. No one wants me, haha."

 

Qin Feng was a little sad in his heart. Since he had made up his mind to enter the Special Forces, he didn’t have the right to fall in love. Having a close loved one would increase the risk of military secrets leaking out. Although this kind of regulation was very strange and strict, there was no way around it. They were the top soldiers in the whole of China, so they naturally had to accept the strictest regulations.

 

Some military operations were indeed related to the security of a certain population or even a whole nation, so information about them could not be allowed to be leaked. If anything went wrong, the whole chain of command might be subject to punishment.

 

Nonetheless, even cold-blooded people could feel love. Qin Feng naturally longed for a girlfriend who knew how to love him, but the time was not right. He was forced to bury those desires in the back of his mind.

 

"You don’t? How could a good guy like you not have a girlfriend? Are you asking too much and scaring all the girls away?" Sister Flower giggled. "Tell me what kind of heavenly fairy you’re looking for and I’ll see whether I can help you find her."

 

"Haha, forget it; I am just a small waiter. Who would want me? Girls these days are so pragmatic. I have no car, no house. Who will take me?"

 

Qin Feng was anxious to change the topic. "Sister Flower, I’ve talked things through with Brother Jun. You can rest assured that he will handle our little ‘situation’."

 

"You can’t rely on him too much. He is a man who only cares for his own interests." Sister Flower still had doubts. "How did you get to talk to him, anyway? He wouldn’t normally talk to you. You're just a waiter. Why would he-"

 

Qin Feng interrupted her. "OK, forget it. I am here, and everything will be restored to normal."

 

Soon, the waiter delivered their food. The dish was in pure Chongqing style, overflowing with spices, and was a type of hot pot. The fish in the pot was delicious; not greasy, but very filling. They each cracked open a beer and raised a toast, drinking cheerfully.

 

"Qin Feng, can I ask you a personal question? Where are your parents? What are they doing now?"

 

Sister Flower was becoming increasingly curious about Qin Feng. The more time she spent around him, the more she felt this guy had the charm of a mysterious, independent, and skillful man. Such a person was definitely an outsider.

 

She even felt that, from a certain point of view, he and Xiao He had a few similarities, although she couldn’t quite put her finger on them.

 

"My father is a retired laborer and now runs a bird shop in his hometown. He likes it and he learned all kinds of bird calls, haha. My mother is not idle, either: she opened a small convenience store. They used to fight almost every day, but they’ve done alright over the years. I got used to it," Qin Feng said casually.

 

He spoke very natural and calmly, but Sister Flower did not notice a vague haziness in his eyes.

 

"Are your uncles and aunts all right?" Sister Flower asked again. "They must be proud to have a good nephew like you."

 

"Yeah, they’re all fine. Otherwise, I wouldn't have left my hometown to work in Tianhe," Qin Feng said.

 

"Well, I envy you. Children who have parents are the happiest. My brother and I had no parents and had to rely on each other since we were young. I raised him by shining shoes, washing cars, handing out flyers, and washing dishes. I did every kind of job you can imagine over the years, eh..."

 

Sister Flower picked up her beer and raised a toast with Qin Feng. She could not help but laugh at herself, "I must owe a huge debt from a past life to have a fate like this. This life makes me repay it little by little. Live forever and pay back forever. Never a day off."

 

"Sister Flower, why do you say that? I think you're doing quite well for yourself. You’re in charge of a big business and everyone counts on you. This is real skill, and Xiao He also has great respect for you. He always-"

 

Qin Feng sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. He realized he said too much.

 

"What? Do you know Xiao He? How do you know what he thinks of me?"

 

Sister Flower eyed Qin Feng suspiciously, but he immediately supplied: "Last time you invited me to have supper, you mentioned Xiao He. You called him, but his phone was turned off. Did you forget? I don’t have a sister, so I especially envy him. From my point of view, a sister is just like another parent, especially based on your experience. He must be very grateful to you, right?"

 

Fortunately, Qin Feng had a sharp mind. A few clever words dispelled Sister Flower’s doubts.

 

"Oh, well, I thought..." Sister Flower sighed and said, “Well, I have no idea now. I just hope Xiao He can get out of the army quickly and come to Tianhe to find a job and live a normal life. I have prepared the house for him so he can get married and have children. He has to carry on the Xiao family name and give me a big fat nephew to spoil. I have to live up to these instructions that my father gave me when he died."

 

Talking about this topic made Qin Feng’s heart uneasy. And now, speaking of this, the image of Xiao He covering his escape in the Golden Triangle flashed again before Qin Feng's mind. He would never forget it.

 

At that moment, he could not help but shed a tear. He quickly reached up to wipe it off, but Sister Flower noticed.

 

"What's the matter?” she smiled warmly. “Getting all emotional? Hey, nobody beats me when it comes to being a great sister! Don’t talk, just drink up."

 

Sister Flower raised her glass to Qin Feng, but he just opened a new bottle and did not say anything, staring gloomily out the window. Then he muttered something under his breath and gulped down the entire bottle.

 

Sister Flower’s glass was still raised in a toast. "What's wrong, Qin Feng?"

 

"Nothing."

 

Qin Feng once again picked up his glass and clinked it against Sister Flower’s. "Sorry, I was thinking of some things from the past."

 

"Oh."

 

Although Sister Flower was curious about what was on his mind, in the end, it was Qin Feng's private affair, which she should not pry into. But she tried to comfort him: "There are some things that you shouldn’t overthink. Like me, haha. I should just take it easy. Other than Xiao He’s non-existent marriage, I have no worries."